THE CORPSE CARRIED HOME. 115 



route to pursue. Thus, after alternately dragging 

 along the body of its victim and rising up to spy 

 out the path, at length the conqueror succeeds in 

 bringing the carcase home. 



Here, however, arises another difficulty. To 

 attempt to get the body of the huge kakerlac 

 in, is just as if one were to attempt to get an 

 elephant through a small street-door. What is to 

 be done ? The wasp enters the hole backwards, 

 and, seizing, the head of the kakerlac, endeavours 

 with all its might to drag it in, but all in vain. 

 Many times it repeats these efforts with the same 

 want of success; and now it appears that its 

 labours in bringing hither the corpse, and its 

 dangers in the battle, were all for nought, for the 

 great body cannot be put in the place the wasp 

 had designed for it. As if exasperated with the 

 difficulties, out comes the wasp in fury, and fall- 

 ing upon the body of the kakerlac, hews off the 

 large wing-cases, together with several of the 

 limbs, and goes back into the hole again to repeat 

 the attempt to get it in. Success at length crowns 

 its efforts ; by little and little the body becomes 

 lost to sight, and finally disappears altogether 

 from view, being carried down to the very bottom 



